HPCC Program Management

The HPCC Program is planned, funded, and executed with the close cooperation of Federal agencies and laboratories, private industry, and academia. These efforts are directed toward ensuring that to the greatest extent possible the Program meets the needs of all communities involved and that the results of the Program are brought into the research and educational communities and into the commercial marketplace as rapidly as possible.

The National Coordination Office (NCO) for High Performance Computing and Communications was established in September 1992. Donald A. B. Lindberg was selected to direct the NCO, while continuing to serve as Director of the National Library of Medicine. The NCO coordinates the activities of participating agencies and organizations, and serves as a liaison to Congress, industry, academia, and the public.

As Director of the NCO, Lindberg reports to John H. Gibbons, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Director of the NCO also chairs the CPMES High Performance Computing, Communications, and Information Technology (HPCCIT) Subcommittee. The Subcommittee meets regularly to coordinate agency HPCC programs through information exchanges, the common development of interagency programs, and the review of individual agency plans and budgets. It is also informed by presentations by other Federal working groups and by public bodies.

Several HPCCIT working groups coordinate activities in specific areas. Individual agencies are responsible for coordinating these efforts:

• The Communications group, led by NSF, coordinates network integration activities and works closely with the Federal Networking Council (FNC). The FNC consists of representatives from interested Federal agencies, coordinates the efforts of government HPCC participants and other NREN constituents, and provides liaison to others interested in the Federal Program.

• The Applications group, led by NASA, coordinates activities related to Grand Challenge applications, software tools needed for applications development, and software development at high performance computing centers.

• The Research group, led by ARPA, focuses on basic research, technology trends, and alternative approaches to address the technological limits of information technology. Its activities are integrated into the overall research program through meetings with the various technical communities.

• The Education group, led by NIH, coordinates HPCC education and training activities and provides liaison with other education-related efforts under FCCSET.

A Federal Networking Advisory Committee (FNCAC) supports the FNC by providing input and recommendations from broad communities and constituencies of the NREN effort. Pursuant to P.L. 102-194, the High Performance Computing Act of 1991, a High Performance Computing Advisory Committee will be established to support the overall HPCC Program. The Committee will improve communications and collaborations with U.S. industry, universities, state and local governments, and the public. Each participating agency has focal points for addressing matters related to the HPCC Program. Organizational and management structures facilitating participation in the HPCC Program are described in the sections presenting individual agency programs. Many participating agencies have published documents about their HPCC programs and solicitations for research in HPCC areas; requests should be directed to the respective HPCC contacts listed at the end of this document.

U.S. industry, academia, and other developers and users of HPCC technology are involved in agency program planning and execution through advisory committees, commissioned reviews, self-generated commentary, and through direct participation in HPCC research and development efforts and as suppliers of technology.

The HPCC Program has benefited from the interest, advice, and specific recommendations of a variety of governmental, industrial, academic, professional, trade, and other organizations. These include:

• Federal organizations

  -Commerce, Energy, NASA, NLM, Defense Information (CENDI) Group

  -Congressional Research Service (CRS)

  -Department of Commerce HPCC Coordinating Group

  -Department of Health and Human Services Agency Heads

  -Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

  -Federal Information Resources Management Policy Council (FIRMPOC)

  -Federal Library and Information center Committee (FLICC) Forum on Information Policies

  -Food and Drug Administration (FDA) center for Drug Evaluation and Research

  -House Armed Services Committee Staff

  -House Subcommittee on Science; Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

  -House Subcommittee on Technology, Environment, and Aviation; Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

  -House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance; Committee on Energy and Commerce

  -NASA Advisory Council

  -National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

  -NIH Information Resources Management Council

  -Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

  -Senate Science Subcommittee; Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

• Federally-chartered institutions

  -National Academy of Sciences (NAS)/Computer Science and Technology Board (CSTB)

  -NAS/CSTB/NRENaissance Study Group

  -NAS/Institute of Medicine

  -NAS/National Research Council (NRC) Executive Board

• State organizations

  -Texas Education Network

  -Wisconsin Governor's Council for Science and Technology

• University organizations

  -Computing Research Association (CRA)

  -EDUCOM

• Professional societies

  -American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES)

  -American College of Cardiologists

  -American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)

  -Association of American Medical Colleges

  -Coalition of Academic Supercomputer centers (CASC)

  -Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)

  -International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)

• Industrial organizations

  -American Electronics Association (AEA)

  -Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP)

  -Information Industry Association (IIA)

• Local organizations

  -Montgomery County High Technology Council

  -The Suburban Maryland Technology Council

• Other organizations with interest in HPCC

  -Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

  -Foundation for Educational Innovation

  -Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC)

  -Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

  -Supercomputing center Directors

• Representatives from individual corporations, publishers, research laboratories, and supercomputing centers

• Foreign governments and organizations, including the British and Canadian governments

The HPCC Program has sponsored several major conferences and workshops. HPCC representatives have given presentations at a number of related conferences as well. These are itemized below.

Major HPCC Conferences and Workshops During FY 1993

EVENT						SPONSOR

High Performance Computing Industry		NASA 
Presentations

Improving Medical Care: Vision of HPCCIT        National Library 
						of Medicine  

HPCC Applications in Chemistry			NIH 

HPCC Comprehensive Review			NASA  

Blue Ribbon Panel on HPCC			NSF 

Workshop and Conference on Grand Challenge      Nine HPCC
Applications and Software Technology            Agencies

HPCC-Related Conferences

American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering 1993 Annual Meeting

Coordinating Federal Health Care: Progress and Promise Workshop

Council on Competitiveness -- Forum on Information Infrastructure

Electronic Industries Association Fifth Annual Federal Information Systems Conference

Georgetown University Medical School Computer Health Care Conference

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Information Exchange Conference

International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI) Annual Meeting

NII Round Table sponsored by 3Com Corporation

Research Consortium Inc. (RCI) North American Annual Member Executive Conference

Scientific Computing and Automation Conference

Supercomputing '92

3Com Interop Conference

Wide Area Information Services (WAIS) Conference

The dynamism and flexibility of the HPCC Program is illustrated by the incorporation of many of these recommendations into current Program plans. For example, the CSPP conducted its second intensive study of the HPCC Program structure and in January 1993 published "Perspectives on the National Information Infrastructure: CSPP's Vision and Recommendations for Action." Many of their recommendations formed the basis for plans in the HPCC Program's new IITA component.

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